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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — of the year
  5. rest — what's left
  6. court — of law
  7. date — the fruit
  8. mate — to breed
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — a break
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. branch — a division
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. swing — to play on
  16. season — in sport
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. swing — in golf
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. mate — a friend
  21. court — of a king
  22. swing — music
  23. court — for sport
  24. mate — a partner

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com